Chapter 3: A Moment of Fire

The storm raged outside, its fury a mirror to the emotions swirling between them. The rain beat down in relentless sheets, but inside the chapel’s crumbling walls, there was only the tension—the crackling energy of two souls standing on the edge of a precipice. Amelia could hear nothing but the pounding of her own heart, feel nothing but the warmth of Ethan’s hand still lightly touching her arm. It was dangerous. It was wrong. Yet every fiber of her being screamed for her to close the distance between them.

His blue eyes bore into hers, filled with an intensity that left her breathless. Neither of them moved, as if the world had frozen for just a moment, waiting for one of them to break the spell.

And then he did.

Ethan’s hand slid up her arm, slow and deliberate, until it reached her shoulder. He stepped closer, his breath warm against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. He didn’t say a word, but his gaze flicked between her eyes and lips, asking a question he didn’t need to voice. Amelia knew what he was asking—what he wanted—and she knew her answer before he even spoke.

Without thinking, without hesitation, she leaned in.

His lips met hers in a fierce, sudden kiss that shattered the stillness around them. The tension that had been building between them erupted into a fire that neither could control. Amelia gasped softly as the kiss deepened, her hands instinctively reaching for him, tangling in his wet hair. The taste of rain lingered on his lips, and the heat of his body pressed against hers sent a thrill of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Ethan’s hands were on her waist now, pulling her closer, his touch firm yet careful, as if afraid she might pull away. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. The world outside the chapel—the feud, their families, everything that had once seemed so important—faded away in that moment. There was only him. Only this.

Amelia’s mind raced, caught between the overwhelming need and the voice inside her that whispered warnings. This is wrong, it said, but she didn’t care. She had spent too long being told what was right and what was wrong, too long living under the weight of her family’s expectations, and for the first time in her life, she was free. Free to feel, to want, to give in to something purely for herself.

Ethan broke the kiss just long enough to look at her, his breathing ragged, his forehead resting against hers. “Amelia...” His voice was hoarse, filled with something raw, something real. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing gently across her skin. “Tell me to stop, and I will. I swear I will.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, her heart pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it. Every rational part of her screamed that she should say it—that she should pull away before they crossed a line neither could come back from. But when she met his gaze, her resolve crumbled. The way he looked at her, like she was the only person in the world, was enough to silence the warnings in her mind.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the rain.

Ethan’s expression shifted, a flash of relief and something deeper passing through his eyes. He kissed her again, this time slower, more deliberate, as if savoring the taste of something forbidden. His hands roamed her body, cautious but filled with need, while Amelia’s own hands traced the strong lines of his back, pulling him closer still.

But just as the fire between them seemed to consume everything, there was a sound—a sharp snap from somewhere outside the chapel.

Amelia froze, her body tensing in Ethan’s arms. The noise was faint, almost drowned out by the rain, but unmistakable—a branch breaking under the weight of someone’s footsteps.

Ethan heard it too. He pulled back, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkened entrance of the chapel. “Did you hear that?”

Amelia nodded, her heart racing for an entirely different reason now. The warmth of their kiss vanished, replaced by a cold spike of fear. She stepped back, her mind suddenly racing with the possibilities. Was someone out there? Had they been followed? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

“Who could it be?” she whispered, glancing toward the door, half-expecting to see a figure emerge from the shadows.

Ethan’s expression hardened. He took a step toward the entrance, his body instinctively positioning itself between her and whatever threat might be lurking outside. “Stay here,” he said, his voice low but firm. “I’ll check.”

“No,” Amelia whispered urgently, grabbing his arm. “What if it’s someone from your family? Or mine? We can’t let them see us here together.”

Ethan paused, considering her words. He nodded slowly, his jaw tight with tension. “Then we need to leave. Now.”

Amelia’s heart pounded as the weight of the situation sank in. If they were caught here—together—the consequences would be disastrous. Their families would never forgive them. The feud, already on the verge of boiling over, would erupt into something far worse. But more than that, it was her own fear that gripped her—a fear of being seen as something other than the perfect Rothwell daughter. Of being seen with a Hargrove.

Ethan reached for her hand, his fingers wrapping tightly around hers. “Come on,” he whispered, pulling her toward the back of the chapel, where the forest stretched out into the darkness.

Amelia followed, her mind racing, her pulse hammering in her chest. They moved quickly, their footsteps muffled by the rain and the soft earth beneath their boots. The trees loomed ahead like dark sentinels, offering cover from whoever—or whatever—was out there.

But just as they reached the tree line, another sound cut through the storm.

“Amelia!”

The voice was sharp, unmistakable, and it stopped her in her tracks.

She turned, her heart sinking into her stomach as she saw the figure emerging from the mist, stepping into the clearing just outside the chapel.

It was Matthew. Her brother.

His face was shadowed by the rain, but even from this distance, she could see the fury in his eyes. He took another step forward, his gaze locked on Ethan, and everything in Amelia’s world came crashing down in that moment.

“What the hell is going on here?” Matthew’s voice was like ice, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Amelia felt her blood turn cold. Ethan stiffened beside her, his body tense and ready for a fight.

They had been caught.

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